Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Despite playing over 10 years in the National Hockey League, former defenseman Jim Kyte was not featured on a lot of hockey cards. However, his accomplishment as the first legally deaf hockey player in the National Hockey League made him an inspiration to hearing-impaired athletes, and merited him a few special subset cards that spoke about his handicap. One such card is from the 1991-92 Pinnacle Hockey set. Continue reading “Hard Work Brings Success”
You never know what you may find at the dollar store. Recently, I found this “deal for a dollar”–a pack of NHL Original Six stickers, manufactured by Sandy Lion Sticker Designs.
The pack of stickers contains two sheets, and each sheet has 15 stickers.
The back of the package gives some interesting usage ideas: Continue reading “NHL Original Six stickers”
Box number four in my OPC box breaks…
– 183 base cards
– 18 Marquee Rookies
– 4 Base Parallels
– 3 Team Checklists
– 2 Season Highlights
– 2 In-Action
– 1 Stat Leaders
– 1 Record Breakers
– 1 Marquee Rookies parallel
– 1 OPC Buyback (1989-90 OPC Vezina Trophy: Patrick Roy–again!!!)
Why did I want two of these?
Not only did I get another 1989-90 OPC card…but I got the exact same card that I pulled from the last box! I am now the proud owner of not one, but two 1989-90 OPC Patrick Roy Vezina Trophy cards. It’s easier to get this 19-year old card than it is to get a card of 19-year old Patrick Kane. In four boxes, I’ve gotten two of this Roy card, and not one Kane.
I got a decent Marquee Rookie card of Washington Capitals Nicklas Backstrom
I also got a Marquee Rookies parallel of Marc Staal–I think they call these cards “Micromotion” in the Beckett guide:
A classmate of mine from Second City (where I take improv lessons) gave me a three-pack of Semi-Pro trading cards.
And no, I don’t mean AHL or IHL trading cards from yesteryear.
These trading cards are based on the new Will Ferrell movie coming out on February 29. In the film, Ferrell plays the player/owner/coach of a minor-league basketball team that *could* become eligible to join the NBA if he can turn the team around.
Although Semi-Pro is a basketball movie–and this is a hockey site–these cards are just too cool not to show off:
Woody Harrelson as Ed Monix
André Benjamin as Clarence “Coffee Black” Withers
Produced by Upper Deck, these cards resemble the old Topps basketball cards from the 1970s, as that is when the film takes place.
Also included with the cards was a big pink stick of sugar free chewing gum. Yum!
Another day, another box break. I got a few good rookie cards in this one (more on those in a moment). Here’s what this 36-pack box yielded me:
– 185 base cards
– 18 Marquee Rookies
– 3 Base Parallels
– 3 Team Checklists
– 2 Stat Leaders
– 2 Season Highlights
– 1 In-Action
– 1 Record Breakers
– 1 Marquee Rookies parallel
– 1 OPC Buyback (1989-90 OPC Vezina Trophy: Patrick Roy)
Wow…another 1989-90 OPC card. Though this one is of Patrick Roy, so maybe it’s worth a quarter instead of a dime.
I did get two good Marquee Rookies in this box: Jonathan Towes and Jack Johnson.
The only top-tier rookie card I need now is Patrick Kane…
I received my issue of Beckett Hockey for February 2008, and was pleasantly surprised to see a picture of Vincent Lecavalier fighting Jarome Iginla on the cover!
You don’t often see fighting on hockey cards (except maybe this one), and for a few years in the 1990s you didn’t even have fighting in hockey video games.
So, it shocks me–but in a good way–to see fighting on a cover of a hockey magazine. Even more so since Lecavalier and Iginla are known for scoring goals, not throwing punches.
Granted, this isn’t an NHL-made or NHL-endorsed product. You could very easily see a photo like this on the cover of The Hockey News. But on a collectibles magazine, I still find it surprising. But in a good way.
Fighting is a part of hockey. I like it when publications et. all own up to that fact.
Here is a video of the Lecavalier-Iginla fight, from the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
My breakdown for the second OPC box I opened recently…
– 185 base cards
– 18 Marquee Rookies
– 4 Base Parallels
– 3 Team Checklists
– 2 Season Highlights
– 2 In-Action
– 1 Stat Leaders
– 1 Record Breakers
– 1 Marquee Rookies parallel
– 2 OPC Buyback (1989-90 OPC Scott Young; 1982-83 OPC Bernie Federko In Action)
This box yielded three more insert cards than the previous box break, but overall I’m not overly impressed with the inserts.
In this box, I also got not one, but two OPC buybacks. One is from the ubiquitous 89-90 OPC set, while the other one was a bit more interesting–a 1982-83 OPC “In Action” card of Bernie Federko, who in actuality *not* in any sort of action (he’s lining up for a face-off).
I just purchased five wax boxes and five collectors tins of 2007-08 OPC, in my quest to build a set.
Here’s the breakdown of the first wax box (36 packs):
– 185 base cards
– 18 Marquee Rookies
– 3 Base Parallels
– 2 Team Checklists
– 2 Season Highlights
– 2 In-Action
– 2 Stat Leaders
– 1 Record Breakers
– 1 OPC Buyback (1989-90 OPC Benoit Hogue)
An OK break, I guess. Got some rookies, but no one notable (no Price, Toews or Kane).
I’m not getting the whole “OPC buyback” thing. I have hundreds of 89-90 OPC cards. Why would I want more? They are neither all that hard to find, nor are they all that attractive (though I *do* like the set). I mean, if I got a card from like 1978 or something, that’d be cool because it at least 30 years old…and not this 18-year old junk.
The third (and final so far) blaster box I purchased. I hit the jackpot!!!.
The breakdown:
– 69 base cards
– 7 Marquee Rookies
– 2 Base Parallels
– 1 Rookie Parallel
– 1 Stat Leaders
– 1 Record Breakers
– 1 Team Checklist
– 1 OPC Buyback (1989-90 OPC Jon Casey)
– 1 OPC Buyback Autograph (1983-84 Marcel Dionne)
This is awesome! The card of Marcel Dionne–a Hall of Fame player–is signed neatly in blue ink. The odds of getting one of these cards is 1 out of every 1440 packs (or so). Not only am I surprised to get this card in a blaster box from Target, but I got this after buying only three blaster boxes–42 packs total. It’s one thing to buy a ton of packs and finally get a card; it’s another thing to get a card relatively early on in collecting a set.
The Dionne auto came with a certificate of authenticity, from Upper Deck:
I am really glad that I bought all of the blaster boxes at Target that day, as they had three of them and I bought all three. As many of you know, I collect hockey autographs.
The second blaster box of 2007-08 O-Pee-Chee that I opened was better than the first one, as I got a Carey Price rookie card. I got six other rookie cards too, but nobody noteworthy.
Here’s the breakdown for my second OPC blaster box:
– 71 base cards
– 7 Marquee Rookies
– 1 Team Checklist
– 1 Stat Leaders
– 1 Season Highlights
– 1 In Action
– 2 base parallels